making news this morning, finally, a confession. >> lance armstrong admits to doping. coming clean to oprah winfrey overnight. a long-awaited admission, despite fighting those allegations for years. and with washington in the throes of a battle over gun control, check out the stunt pulled by one state lawmaker. and subway attack. new video surfacing overnight. shocking violence on a train platform. this woman pulled on to the tracks. police quickly making an arrest. and exact change. the new cash machines offering more than just jacksons. you can get washingtons and lincolns, too. good morning. i'm john muller, in for rob nelson. >> and i'm paula faris.

in his much-anticipated interview with oprah winfrey, lance armstrong called himself a flawed character. he also said he deserves condemnation after more than a decade of lying about using performance-enhancing drugs. >> as neal karlinsky reports, armstrong described cheating as part of his job. >> reporter: even though we knew it was coming, hearing lance armstrong saying it out loud was surreal. >> did you ever blood dope or use blood transfusions to enhance your cycling performance? >> yes. >> in all seven of your tour de france victories, did you ever take banned substances or blood dope? >> yes. >> reporter: so, why admit it now? armstrong blamed the momentum of his own story. >> this is too late. it's too late for probably most people. and that's my fault.

you know, i've used this situation as one, big l repeated a lot of times. >> lance armstrong just confirmed he's tour de france win. >> reporter: the icon who transcended sports, hung around with movie stars and world leaders. the one that told the world, year after year, that he was clean. and anyone who said otherwise was just out to get him. >> i have never doped. i've never taken performance-enhancing drugs. my best defense is i never tested positive. >> reporter: he didn't just lie to supporters, fans, and cancer survivors, he lied under oath, too. armstrong is accused of running up a doping bill experts pegged at over $1 million. >> the story's gone on so long. you win the disease. you win the tour de france seven times. a happy marriage, children. it's this mythic, perfect story.

>> reporter: his biggest hope, will earn him something he is in short supply of right now, sympathy. but his performance may not have helped. i'm neal karlinsky, in new york. >> armstrong denied claims by former teammates that he ordered the use of banned substances. part two of his talk with oprah airs tonight. we turn to the latest chaotic developments in the hostage situation in algeria, a day after algerian forces swooped down on militants, it's not clear how many lives were lost. we do know, however, this morning, that at least five americans are among the survivors. and abc's tahman bradley, joining us live with more. good morning, tahman. >> reporter: good morning, paula. a u.s. surveillance drone is now hovering over the gas compound in the algerian desert where the hostages were being held. but details of the assault, still trickling in. there's widely-conflicting reports on how many captives and kidnappers were killed, from a handful to several dozen.

the u.s. believes a number of hostages are still inside this morning. and the british prime minister warns there could be more bloodshed. the al qaeda-linked terrorists were holding hostages from ten countries. the u.s. and other governments were not told about the rescue operation ahead of time. and with information coming out, being described as murky, it could be some time before we get a clearer picture of the situation on the ground. >> that situation, very fluid. tahman bradley, live in washington this morning. thank you, tahman. and president obama is mobilizing his campaign apparatus in the gun control debate. after unveiling his proposals wednesday, mr. obama is pressuring congress with a new online petition. it seeks support for universal background checks and other reforms. one virginia state lawmaker went dramatic. brandishing an ak-47 yesterday, while urging a support for a ban on assault weapons. it was unloaded. and his bill was defeated.

washington gearing up for a full weekend of inaugural events. security has been cranking up as practice for all of the major happenings take place tomorrow. mr. obama, vice president biden and their wives taking part in service events across washington. they will be sworn up on sunday, before monday's ceremonial swearing in at the capitol. a scare for an alaskan airlines flight overnight. fighter jets were scrambled after reports of a possible hijacking. those jets escorted the 737 to sea-tac airport. someone called the honolulu office. across the country at miami's airport, two massive airliners clipping each other at the gate, damaging both planes. an airbus arriving from argentina, touched the 777 leaving for paris. none of the 600 people onboard those 2 planes were hurt.

the aurora, colorado, theater, where 12 people were shot and killed is reopening to the public today for the first time since that massacre. it's showing movies free of charge over the weekend. last night, survivors of the shooting and those who lost loved ones were invited to attend a special evening of remembrance. and people across the south are looking forward to a calmer and drier day, after getting slammed by a rare snowstorm. parts of mississippi, you don't see this often, got up to four inches of snow, twice as much as their normal total for the entire season. and the mountains of west virginia, 15 inches. slick roads brought traffic to a standstill in alabama and triggered accidents in several states. >> my goodness. let's look at more weather across the nation. dense fog in the pacific northwest. light snow from fargo to marquette, michigan. western new york and the cape cod area. showers for much of florida. 10 to 20 degrees warmer than normal from chicago to los angeles. >> mostly 30s in the northeast. and 50s from atlanta to

new orleans. when we come back, a sneak peek at the first new look for american airlines planes in 45 years. and then, a dollar here. a dollar there. the new atms that kick out ones, fives, what you need. and the plot thickens. what we're learning about the notre dame football star and that online love hoax.

welcome back, everyone. a couple of big economic reports are both going in the right direction. home construction is way up, with new building jumping more than 12% in december, from the month before. it is the fastest pace for housing starts in more than four

years. the number of people seeking unemployment benefits is way down. falling to a five-year low last week. and wall street cheering that double-dose of good news. the dow industrial hitting a five-year high during trading on thursday. the s&p 500 closing at its highest level since december of 2007, up more than 0.5% for the day. maybe we can start looking at our 401(k)s. >> maybe. with this 787 dreamliner under the microscope and grounded around the world, u.s. safety officials and boeing will take part in the investigation. boeing says it will keep building the jets while the investigation is going on. and american airlines is giving its fleet of jets the first new look in 45 years. american unveiling its new logo and look on thursday. american is working to come out of their bankruptcy and weighing its options, including a possible merger with u.s.

airways. nice look. >> interesting. i'll say that. >> little retro. looks like the new england patriots. >> do we really have to talk about the patriots? >> sorry. wondering how much a house is worth is a popular guessing game. but have you ever played it with 1600 pennsylvania avenue? well, zillow did. they pegged it at $295 million, up 7% in the four years since president obama moved in. zillow figures the place would rent for $1.75 million per month. >> per month? >> that's their estimate. >> if it was in new york, it would be triple that. here's some numbers that are easier to fallow. atms that can crank out a $1 and $5 bill, with chase banks. it can give customers an exact amount in exact denominations they want. it's part of chase's move to have the atms do what tellers

used to do. >> you want singles or some fives. >> especially when you have $4 in your checking account. can't take out a $20. when we come back, energy drink blowback. a major city banning the liquid caffeine bombs. terror on the track. startling video of a man that walks up a woman and brutally tosses her off the platform. everything's better with a great cup of coffee. exceptionally smooth and perfectly balanced for a harmonious blend of flavor, body and aroma. green mountain coffee for your keurig brewer. brew a better day.

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now that i've found lyrica. ask your doctor if lyrica is right for your fibromyalgia pain. i love the fact that quicken loans provides va loans. quicken loans understood the details and guided me through every step of the process. i know wherever the military sends me, i can depend on quicken loans. a hole in the roof of a san diego-area auto repair shop came thanks to a bucket of cleaning solution that fell out of a marine corps plane yesterday morning. a motor home inside was damaged. no one was hurt. the marines say they will pay for the damage. >> that could have been a whole lot worse. and now, for a look at morning road conditions. fog could damper drivers in the pacific northwest. snowshowers, make it for a slick ride from north dakota to michigan. also, slippery in western

new york and cape cod. roads are going to be wet at time across much of florida, as well. >> looks like an ideal day to fly. no weather-related airport delays are expected across the country this morning. and this is unsettling video from philadelphia. police have made an arrest in a brutal subway attack. a man was caught on surveillance tape throwing a woman on to the tracks. >> in the disturbing video of the mid-afternoon assault earlier this week, the man is scene approaching this 23-year-old woman, punching her and then dragging her. no train was coming at the time. she managed to climb off the tracks on her own and was not seriously injured. >> police did not make the video public at first, fearing it might jeopardize leads in that case. also captured on tape, a dangerous and violent robbery of a brinks armed guard in florida. on the tape, you see the guard outside the bank, looking at the approaching robbers, holding up his hands. the robbers force him to the ground, take the money and run off. the guard is going to pull off

his gun. he begins to shoot. the getaway car was later found with bullet holes and blood inside. but the thieves are still on the loose. still, nonetheless, that guard has pretty good aim. >> man, that was great. we could have new details about the bizarre internet hoax involving manti te'o. plenty of people wondering why he didn't reveal the whole thing sooner? and while abc's josh elliott reports, that's not the only question still swirling. >> reporter: was te'o really duped into believing he was having an online love affair that would turn tragic? he called lennay kekua the love of his life, saying her death had happened within hours of his grandmother's, one day before the big game. a narrative he was all too willing to share, in apparent pain. >> when you have somebody that you talk to every single day, that you sleep with on the phone, because she's -- she's going through a lot of things,

and all of a sudden, it hits silence. that silence really eats at you. >> reporter: we now know that lennay kekua never existed. but glaring questions still remain. notre dame officials say the relationship was exclusively online. so, why then did te'o's father reportedly tell one paper his son had met kekua years ago after a game at stanford, and they they'd spent time together in hawaii? and why, even after te'o informed school officials of the hoax back in december, did no one set the record straight? while across social media and the twitterverse, the mystery spawned a new meme. te'o-ing. people posting pictures embracing imaginary friends. but from te'o, seen here, nothing but silence. a young man, about whom we once seemingly knew so much and now, about what matters most, seemingly nothing at all. josh elliott, abc news, new york. the day after he won the lottery, the day he sent the check, will be exhumed today.

urooj khan won nearly $500,000. he died the day after he cashed that check. further testing will be done on his body to try to find out exactly what happened. the city of chicago famously tried to ban foie gras. now, a crackdown on energy drinks. the city council is proposing a ban on the energy drinks. it doesn't just apply to minors. it applies to everybody. if the measure is approved, retailers could be fined up to $500 and lose their license. now, sports. at long last, the nhl season getting under way tomorrow with nearly all of the league's 30 teams in action. as for last night's hoops action, we get those highlights from espn. >> lebron james and the miami heat taking on kobe bryant and the l.a. lakers at the staples center. and lebron decides to battle in

from downtown. stop at the key. heaves up three. and he has 39, a season-high for lebron. kobe bryant shot 8 for 25 from the field. but he drains a three-pointer off the pass from pau gasol. five minutes to play. tied at 83-83. lebron is going to find ray allen on the wing. that's smooth. puts the heat up by three. under three to play. lakers down. and bryant hits another three-pointer, tying the game. 23rd-straight 20-point game, as he finishes with 22. lebron is going to knock down the jumper. the heat win 99-90. lebron had 66. blake griffin keeping things cool as the clippers take on the timberwolves. beautiful finish here. this is what he does best. goes around a defender. reverse dunk. he has 20 points. t-wolves down six. luke ridnour from the corner.

ridnour had 21 points. in the fourth quarter, touchdown pass from lamar to griffin, easy slam. and in the fourth quarter, once again, clippers up ten. crawford's going to drain the three and finish with 22 points. the clippers, 12-1, when he leads the team in scoring. crawford had this dish to eric bledsoe. the 90-77 victory for the clippers. have a great friday. >> friday, doesn't that sound great? >> sounds great. up next, "the pulse." we'll show you a different michelle obama, rocking a new look for her 49th birthday. what just happened to those kids who were begging for a puppy? we'll find out. puppy? we'll find out. a whole new level online. it ctrating. it's hard to turn off and go back to sleep. intermezzo is the first and only prescription sleep aid approved for use as needed in the middle of the night when you can't get back to sleep. it's an effective sleep medicine you don't take before bedtime.

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okay. it is the friday "pulse," stories you're going to be talking about today and throughout the weekend. we want to send a belated happy birthday to first lady michelle obama, who turned 49 yesterday. >> she is one of the most photographed women on the planet. known for her sense of style. what do you think? >> here is, drumroll, please. the new do. the first lady is sporting bangs. we're going to see more of michelle obama and her bangs this weekend, when festivities get under way for the president's second inauguration. what do you think? >> do you like it? >> nice change of pace. >> with guys, you can't do a whole lot. >> shave it all out. >> we can change the cut and the color. movie news. ail pacino is going to play former penn state coach joe paterno. check them out side-by-side. it's not a bad match. imagine that? >> when he puts the glasses on,

he's a ringer. the film's tentative title is "happy valley," based on the best-seller about joe paterno. no word on when this will be released. we have a happy ending to report for the two, little girls from massachusetts with a computer and a dream. >> cadence and emerson cornell, and their brothers and sisters are enjoying their new puppy. mom and dad say they could get a dog only if they got 1 million likes on faceback. they adopted the newest member of their family, millie, which is their new rescue dog. >> 1 million -- was it 700,000? >> they were up to 1.6 million. they posted it on tuesday, by the time they went to bed, 10,000 likes. but the dad is in the social networking -- he knows how to get it. >> and cute puppy, too.

for some of you, local news is next. >> for everyone else, we'll be back with dear abby. you need a hand. well, walgreens is innovating to help. by making prescription refills this easy. and we're bringing our pharmacists out front to answer your questions. at walgreens, we'll do more than help you get well. we'll help you stay well and live well. because that's what it really means to be at the corner of happy and healthy. it wasn't their cup. if you don't like that dark roast, we've created a coffee for you. blonde is a beautiful, light roasted coffee. kind of mellow, sweet, a little citrusy. for me, personally, i love connecting with people, so blonde roast just gives me a whole nother reason to connect with more customers. ♪

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we're going to update the top stories. lance armstrong telling oprah winfrey he didn't feel bad about using illegal drugs to win the tour de france title. and part two of the interview tonight. five americans survived the hostage standoff in northern africa, after algerian forces stormed the compound where they were holding the hostages. a rare snowstorm that battered the south has finally cleared out. parts of mississippi, alabama and the carolinas got four inches of snow. you don't see that very much. it's more snow than some of the areas usually see all year. foggy in the pacific northwest. light snow in fargo, duluth, western new york and cape cod. showers from florida to jacksonville, all the way to miami. and finally this friday morning, a celebration of wit. >> pauline phillips, better known as dear abby, has died, leaving a legacy of humor and

heart. her one-liners were a must-read for millions. >> here's abc's david wright on the woman behind the column. >> reporter: she was google and groucho all in one. delivering wise one-liners in answer to any question. a reader once asked, is it possible to get pregnant under water? her response, not without a man. her audience was bigger than oprah's. >> now, i asked her, what paper would you buy? >> i read the one that has dear abby. >> oh. >> reporter: fozzie bear's favorite. dexter's, too. >> dear abby, i'm a serial killer. >> reporter: because dear abby always judged problems with common sense -- without judging her readers too harshly. >> i'm a hillsboro housewife. i didn't have a social security number. i never worked a day in my life. >> reporter: pauline phillips told larry king she got her big break when she barged into the editor's office at "the san francisco chronicle." >> he said, don't call us, we'll call you. leave your name at the desk. >> reporter: she started the very next day. that was 1956.

three months earlier, her twin sister had been hired to write a similar column for "the chicago tribune." dear abby and ann landers -- really the friedman sisters of sioux city, iowa -- would go on to be rivals for the rest of their careers. her frank advice was sometimes shocking in its day. 1970. dear abby, recently our 21-year-old daughter came out to us and told us she was in love with another girl. dear mother, if your daughter is happy with what she is, then you who profess to love her must accept her as she is or not at all. dear abby changed with the times and helped america change, too. david wright, abc news, los angeles. >> always enjoyed reading that column as a young, like, teenager. you never knew what you were going to find. >> before facebook. before the internet. that's where we found our. that's what's making news in america this morning. >> stay with us for "good morning america." have a great friday. a wonderful weekend, everybody.